Poetry On The Street

Gambian street

By A Gambian Poet

On the street that I grew up has a big poetic tree call ”apolipo”

It is centred on the half way heart of the street
In a minority village call Churchill’s town that no body knew of until when apolipo was a mother-tree
It grows with five senses until later when it second sense was announce no more

Ants, Pigs, Rats, Cats all take shade from the apolipo tree
Rarely did I ever see its seeds grown in any other street
But once you taste the shade and fruit of it, you never want go away
Unless it causes you diabetes due to the sugar in the juice, you’ll divorce it

The tree use to be very strong and well leafed, rich with chlorophyll and powerful diverted branches
Its root is said to have been unknown
But many believe that it was an invention of one old woman whose home was unknown, thus she use to eat fruits there and throw the seeds down there

The tree is a succulent one cos once tasted u never wana finish it
The people on the street made several attempts to bring it down but the jinn in the tree is a powerful one
People come from other streets to decay it, but they end up being caged
Cos the tree strengthens its root to the root of an arrogant tree in Ebo Town
That is why all axes that wana axe its branches end up being hammered by a craw bar
But interestingly, the tree has drop many of its leaf and is now translucent but people still eat its fruit but no body seats under her shade

The people of Churchill’s Town don’t want apolipo to bear fruit any more
If Bundung close door neighbours or Tallinding can help
It is certain that apolipo will crumble down
But until then opolipo remains our favourite fruit
Cos its leaf, roots will serve a purpose of medicine even-though its leaf keeps making the whole street dirty
For that, may our broom never go out of service.